Wednesday, November 17, 2004

"[Children] don't need two fathers. They don't need two mothers. They need a mother and a father."

Attorney Steve O’Ban, defender of Washington’s marriage law

OLYMPIA, Wash. (BP)--If homosexual activists have their way, then sometime next year Washington state will become the second state in America to legalize same-sex "marriage."

The Washington Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a same-sex "marriage" case March 8, the court announced Nov. 16. If homosexual activists win, then the U.S. will have states on both coasts -- Massachusetts is the other -- issuing marriage licenses to homosexual couples. This summer Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex "marriage," thanks solely to a ruling by that state's high court. Read More

WASHINGTON (BP)--The Department of Defense has agreed in a partial settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union to inform its military bases worldwide they should not officially sponsor Boy Scout units. Read More

Myrtle Grove Baptist Church in Pensacola not only hosted disaster relief teams after Hurricane Ivan, they started a food distribution point, ran an emergency daycare program, provided appliances and cars for individuals and planted seeds of the Gospel in their besieged community. Photo by Joni B. Hannigan/Florida Baptist Witness

PENSACOLA, Fla. (BP)--Pastor Ron Lentine wasn’t campaigning for either presidential candidate the evening of Nov. 2. Instead, he and about 40 to 50 others canvassed neighborhoods near Myrtle Grove Baptist Church in Pensacola to follow up on more than two months of steady relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Ivan.

“We told them we knew it was election night and they were probably watching the results, but we asked them if we could pray for them,” Lentine told the Florida Baptist Witness.

“Ivan was a bad thing, but Ivan is bringing many good things,” the pastor said. “In almost every home it has given an open door for our people to say, ‘Can we pray for you?’” Read More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--ABC has apologized for airing an objectionable opening to Monday Night Football Nov. 15 after viewers complained it was yet another example of inappropriate material broadcast during a national sporting event. Read More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A motion passed at the Tennessee Baptist Convention seems destined to plow controversial ground: to “investigate and study the theological teachings” of the three Baptist-affiliated institutions of higher education in the state -– Carson-Newman College, Belmont University and Union University. Read More

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (BP)--From November onward it’s impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. By mid-December, most homes will be decorated with Christmas trees and lights on eaves, walls, columns, trees and shrubbery. Even before Thanksgiving, the little old man with the long white beard, red coat and bag of toys is seen, and children are captivated by the expectation that Santa will magically appear on Christmas Eve to bring them gifts. Read More

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)--Contentment is a great simplifier. It helps focus body and soul on the proper priorities. It calms the restless desire for more. It satisfies the heart with the present provision of God. It deflates pride, drains the drive of selfish ambition and relaxes the grip of anxiety. Contentment decreases our dependence upon things and circumstances, and it increases a restful dependence upon Christ. Read More

Formed in 1946 by the Southern Baptist Convention, and supported with Cooperative Program funds, Baptist Press (BP) is a daily (Monday-Friday) international news service. Operating from a central bureau in Nashville, Tenn., BP works with a large network of contributing writers, photographers and editorial providers to produce BP News.